


the fireworks

by eli0is0bored



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Cleaning, Death, F/M, Fireworks, Fluff, Gen, I have no idea how old levi is, M/M, Major Manga Spoilers, Post-Canon, depends on how I feel, i also have no idea how any type of military works, might also add more chapters idk, mikasa and levi are not in a relationship because they are related, no beta we die like (wo)men, so im sorry, the fireworks only appear at the end, this is so bad but pls it gets better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28686393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eli0is0bored/pseuds/eli0is0bored
Summary: MANGA SPOILERSalso contrary to the name, the fireworks are only here for like ten seconds.its been about a year since Hanji passed away, he had rarely spent a birthday alone since coming to the Survey Corps. luckily, Hanji wouldnt leave him alone on his first birthday without them.
Relationships: (mentioned only), Erwin Smith/Hange Zoë, Isabel Magnolia & Hanji Zoë, Levi Ackerman & Mikasa Ackerman, Levi/Erwin Smith, Levi/Erwin Smith/Hange Zoë, Levi/Hange Zoë
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to me not knowing how to write any of the aot character correctly but im still trying.

Levi-

People often thought that he hated his birthday, no one had ever seen him celebrate it.

And see, it wasn’t that Levi hated his birthday, he just didn’t see the need behind the day, of course he kept track of his age, it was force of habit from the Underground, making it a year was a milestone, most people don’t live long down there, so yeah, he knew how old he was, but did that mean the day needed recognition? No. It did not.

But when did that ever stop anyone from giving him a gift or two? Every year, Hanji and Erwin would get together and make something for him, some years it was a pastry, sometimes a new cleaning chemical or tool, it all depended on what they thought he wanted.

He never wanted anything, but that didn’t matter.

Normally he would ignore December 25th, but this year, even he had to admit, was different.

It was different because the two people who gave a shit were dead.

Even after Erwin died, Hanji did what they could to make his birthday somewhat special, even if it meant taking him stargazing like Isabel and Furlan used to do, no matter what, they would always come up with something.

But this year, there was nothing, Erwin was gone, Hanji was gone, even the fucking titans were gone. The only thing to do today was to finish going through Hanji’s old belongings from her office.

Otherwise, it was just his birthday, and for once, he craved the feeling that someone gave a shit that he lived another year, he wanted them to celebrate, he missed it.

But if he wanted to get any work done today, he would have to suck it up.

So, he did.

~ About an hour later ~

Hanji’s office was the even messier than he could’ve imagined, papers were stuffed in every area, different chemicals and experiment logs were spread into cabinets, everywhere you looked there was a glove or a pair of goggles.

It was messy and exactly the way they used to like it, Levi imagined that in Hanji’s brain, everything was right where it needed to be, it was organized, which is why Levi didn’t clean much beyond the surface, he had seen them angry… its not something he wanted to see again.

Levi sorted through everything, all the papers needed to be organized in a way other people can figure out, the counters needed to be cleaned, and all of Hanji’s personal belongings had to be removed and either kept or given away to family. So far, nothing had been found, nothing of importance, a few pairs of glasses (some broken and some brand new, Levi kept them all), some of their nightclothes, and a few heirlooms (Some of which, Levi also kept) that would need to be returned to Hanji’s family.

The best thing he had found so far was a collection of rings, for one of his birthdays, Erwin and Hanji had gotten three silver rings, they were meant to signify the promise they made to each other one night, a promise that if one of them died, the other would keep going and keep fighting no matter what. (Can you blame him, he was drunk and sentimental, but it still meant something)

They couldn’t wear the rings often, but when they were at HQ, they could. Sure, they were cheesy and stupid, but they all meant something different to each other.

To Erwin, it reminded him as to why he kept up with the Commander position, to serve, to dedicate his heart. It reminded his of why he joined the military, it also, for some reason, reminded him of his father. For Hanji, it reminded them of how amazing the world was and how much they still had to explore, whenever they looked at it, they could hear Levi’s voice telling them not to be reckless. And for Levi, it served as a symbol of his old friends, how he failed to protect them and how he should’ve have let them protect him, it showed him that not only did he need to protect Hanji and Erwin, but that he needed to let them protect him.

_Fuck, if he kept thinking about this shit then he was going to cry or some bullshit._

Levi put down the small stack of paper in his hand, the rings on his finger jingled against each other.

_Fucking Erwin and his huge ass fingers. He should put these fucking rings on a chain._

He could barely read the reports, Hanji normally had shitty handwriting but when they wrote fast, it was practically illegible, but he still sat there attempting to read through it.

He grabbed his cup and sipped his tea, footsteps echoed down the hall, his heart couldn’t help but jump at the thought of that person being Hanji, the picture of them went away as soon as it came.

Mikasa knocked on the door and gave him a small smile.

“Happy birthday, Levi.” 

He looked up and waved, “Thanks.”

She walked in the room and leaned against the wall, “Need any help?”

The rings jingled again as he placed another report onto the pile, “No, go spend Yule with Armin.”

She tsked but listened, “Ok, let us know if you need anything.”

He hummed his response as she left, thanks to the constant trauma cycling through Survey Corp, Levi and Mikasa had gotten closer, he had to admit it was nice having blood family, they weren’t as close as they could be, but it was a start.

Levi sighed and dropped everything on the ground, he stood at made his way to Hanji’s desk, at least he always kept this part clean. He opened the larger drawer next to him, noticing the key that stuck out of it, and found a box, how had he never noticed it?

_For Levi’s 43 rd _

Levi grabbed the box and placed it on the desk, it wasn’t heavy, but it was obviously full. When he opened the box, a piece of paper and several grenade shaped items, all with little stings coming off them, all different sizes, the largest being the size of several books and the smallest being the size of rock.

The paper was short but in writing he could read, he vaguely recognized it as Hanji fancy print that they only reserved for things of importance, like birthday cards.

_Hey Levi,_

_Its Hanji, me and Erwin have been planning this for a while, mainly because this was difficult to make and titans are currently taking over the world but, in my opinion, everyone needs a bit of amazement in their life. This is what I hope to bring you._

_I don’t really know what to call these bombs?? All I know is that they use a lot of explosions which look incredible, so… you can come up with a name. I was thinking FireBombs, or ColorFire, I don’t know yet._

_ANYWAYS, I finished this around your 42 nd but things were getting bad so I held off, so when we get back from this new expedition/mission we can set these off together. I’m sure that Erwin is watching from wherever he is._

_Happy birthday, Levi, congrats on now being an old man._

_(In case for some reason I’m not there (like your 28 th and 33rd) Make sure to set these off at night and in a field, make sure when you light the string to run away from it, then just watch it go off. Also, these might attract titans… so be careful)_

_(Also, save the biggest one for last, it’s the one that took the longest but its also gonna be the one that you find most amazing)_

_Hanji_

What. The. Fuck.

Fire and explosions… he’s gonna die setting these off, wasn’t he?

This was written likely several weeks before Hanji’s death, just the way they talked, he wishes that he could’ve kept them alive to see whatever the hell this shit is.

Levi searched through the box, there were eight of the bombs in total, at least he had something to do tonight.

He took the box and the items he found in Hanji’s office and took them to his room; he wouldn’t have to worry about people panicking because of the noise, the only ones left at base these days were him, Mikasa, Eren, Armin and a few other miscellaneous soldiers, plus he would just ride far enough out so that way no one would hear these. Not like anything or anyone would stop him.

He placed everything on his bed, someone had put dinner on his desk, likely Eren or Armin, so he sat down, ate, and waited for dark.

~ Several hours later ~

He rode for about an hour before he thought he was far enough away so that no one would hear him, he made sure that he wasn’t around any trees either.

Once he found an empty field, he pulled out one of the smaller bombs, just wanting to make sure that if he set these off, he wouldn’t… well… die.

Once he had set it on the ground, he lit one of the fire sticks, another one of Hanji’s creations, and set fire to the long string, he ran back several feet and stood looking up.

He jumped as something shot into the air and exploded, leaving behind sparks of blue and green, he nearly yelped as another shot into the air, but this time it was purple and green… They were beautiful.

_Hanji… What the hell did you make?_

After setting off several of the small ones, he realized that his life wasn’t in danger and he let himself stare into the sky as the sparks stayed in the air, after the bombs exploded, the sparks that flew up floated in the air, stayed colorful for several seconds.

Each time was a different color pattern with a different number of shots, Hanji and Erwin really outdid themselves this time, he couldn’t even imagine how long this would’ve taken. He investigated the box, only one left, it was the biggest one out of them all.

He grabbed it and placed next to the small hole where he had set off the others, it was huge, if anything were to kill him, it would be this monster of a bomb. He took one of the fire sticks and lit the string, he ran back a bit more than he normally did and sat on the ground.

He looked up towards the sky as three small explosions went off, leaving behind trails of bright green smoke as white sparks flew into the air while it whistled along the way, two more shots went off but this time in blue and orange, five more rapid shots went into the air and off to the side in a rainbow of color. It was one of the most gorgeous things Levi had ever seen.

Every second was another streak of color, another whistle, more sparks than he could’ve even thought of, he let out a breathy chuckle as he felt a small tear fall down his cheek.

As the bomb continued to go off, he smiled, only a small one, but still a smile.

“Erwin… Hanji… it’s amazing…”

~ Bonus POV: Erwin ~

Erwin had only seen that look on Levi’s face a few times. It was a childlike look of wonder, something that you would only see on small children. But Levi… Levi had never had a chance to be a child, so every once and awhile, if you looked hard enough, you could see this look.

He saw it when Levi first saw snow, when he first ate one of Erwin’s pastry’s, other than that, he couldn’t think of many other times where he had seen Levi look so innocent.

But this look wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before, Levi looked like a child, there was some sadness in his expression, but… Erwin could guess why that was.

He sat next to Levi as he watched the last one go off.

“Erwin… Hanji… It’s amazing…”

He grabbed his face, his hand translucent, “ _I know Levi… it truly is…”_

Hanji stepped near them both and took a seat at Levi’s feet, a tear slipping down their cheek, they smiled. Erwin grabbed their hand.

_“I think you did it, Hanji.”_

They looked at Erwin’s face and back to Levi’s face of childhood wonder.

_“I think I did too.”_


	2. an extra chapter (pov mikasa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just mikasa being a worried cousin  
> ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER HAS A MENTION OF S*ICIDE  
> so be careful everyone

~ Mikasa ~

She knew that Levi had never really celebrated his birthday, but she also knew that Commander Erwin and Commander Hanji would always do something small for him.

Mikasa thought it was sweet of them, some of the only times she had seen the man smile was on his birthday, whether it be when his friends brought him a small cake or when they gifted him with a new trinket.

However, this year, she knew that wouldn’t be happening, they were both gone, and Levi never even talked about it, not that she expected him too, in fact, him not talking about their deaths seemed so in character for him. Despite the fact they had grown closer over the past few years, and even more so in the past few months, Levi never spoke to her about these things, and again, it was just so _him_ to not talk about it that it annoyed her to no end.

When she had found him going through the Commanders lab, it was almost scary… the bag of things he was taking for himself, the papers that were scattered all along the floor as he desperately tried to read them. He looked as if he had been _crying._

But still, she listened to him when he told her he didn’t need help, she listened when he told her to go spend Yule with Armin, and for a second, she forgot about it, until she saw Levi’s figure riding off into the trees.

She didn’t think much of it, even though there weren’t many people left at HQ, every once and awhile you could find someone out late at night, either because of insomnia or just because they needed a fucking minute. So no, she didn’t follow him, but she also needed a minute. (and maybe an excuse to follow him but sshhh) She snuck her way out to the stables, her horse neighing the moment it saw her, Mikasa mounted her horse and rode off in the same direction as Levi did.

Was she worried?

_Yes._

She knew Levi could handle himself.

But she also knew the amount of people that had killed themselves after the war, mostly because of what they had seen or what they had done.

But some did it because they no longer had family, which to most meant they had nothing to live for.

~ Time skip bc lazy author, but about thirty minutes later ~

Even though the pit in her stomach grew, she had to admit, the night was peaceful.

_BOOM-_

_Okay not peaceful then-_

Mikasa jumped at the sudden sound, spying sparks coming from several miles away, her mind automatically reverted to war.

_Sparks mean titan shifter._

_No._

_No._

_Wait, these aren’t yellow._

_They aren’t yellow?_

She sped on her horse, galloping until she reached an empty field, she saddled her horse, so he was hidden behind the trees, just in case he got spooked.

The loud sound kept coming, each one a bit louder than the last, but with the blasts came a sheet of color.

_Color?_

She sat herself against a tree, watching as the sparks went up in the air… it was beautiful. A bit loud for her liking, but they were gorgeous, some of these colors were so bright that they hurt her eyes.

_It was mesmerizing._

Whatever this was… it had to have been someone like Hanji’s work… maybe even Armin, but he would’ve told her if he made something like _this._

That’s when it hit her… _Levi was setting these off._

Where would have he gotten these?

She knew better than to interrupt this moment, she had a good idea of who gave these to him, there was only one person who _could_ create something like this. This moment wasn’t for her.

Which is why she stayed up against the tree, just watching from afar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wrote in the spur of the moment, i hope its okay  
> (pronouns: they/he/xe/moon)  
> okie love yall


	3. isabel and hanji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> honestly this is probably terrible but i couldnt help myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for death

~ HANJI ~

The explosions were just as beautiful as they always thought they would be, Erwin and them had worked hard on the formula to make them explode with color instead of shrapnel. But in the end, it turned out amazing, even Mikasa had snuck out to watch them, she didn’t bother Levi, but it was nice that she was worried.

However, all good things come to an end… and eventually Levi had stood up and left, Mikasa had left a bit earlier to make sure she would be back before he would be, and once Levi had left, Hanji cried.

They knew that they could always watch over him, but something about the final explosion being set off made her emotional, it’s not like she had anything else left for Levi, neither did Erwin.

Hanji sat on the ground, close to where Mikasa had sat, their sniffles almost silent. They weren’t sure how long they sat there before Isabel walked up beside them. She sat next to them and leaned her head on their shoulder.

“You okay?”

Hanji sighed, a tear slipping off her chin towards the ground.

“I’m alright, just a bit more emotional than I thought I would be.”

Isabel had grown close to Hanji, she was kind and wanted to know everything about what had happened while Levi was without them, if he was okay, if he missed them, if he was still having nightmares. It was sweet if Hanji was being honest. Isabel and Hanji even acted similarly, something that was pointed our quite a bit by Erwin.

She lifted her head up as she saw another approach…

_Kuchel Ackerman_

Hanji really liked her, she would’ve been an amazing mother if she had survived, Kuchel smiled down at Hanji.

“Did he like the color explosions you made?”

They gave a soft smile and nodded.

“He was smiling so… yeah, I would say he liked them enough.”

Kuchel hummed her approval before holding her hand out to pull them off the ground.

“You two need a nap, especially you Hanji.”

Both chuckled, taking the offer of a hand, Kuchel was right, the women still having her motherly instincts even after all these years.

Tonight, they would rest and tomorrow, they would check on Levi.

~ THE NEXT DAY ~

~ ISABEL ~

Look, as much as she loved that Big Bro had his own life and wasn’t dead, she certainly missed him, seeing him was great, but he couldn’t see, hear, or touch her, and every once and awhile it got exhausting. But despite him not being able to hear her, she still talked his ear off, just like she used to, sometimes she even tried to hug him, even though she knew he wouldn’t feel it.

Did it make her sad sometimes? Maybe.

Did she still do it? Of fucking course, she did.

At least she wasn’t the only one to do it, every once and awhile, she would catch Kuchel or Hanji talking to him, even Erwin would chat with him. Most of the time it was about nothing important, just what happened that day or a funny conversation that one of them had, sure it was stupid, but it was nice.

Isabel had been watching Levi as he grew up after she died, a bit weird how he fell so hard for the man he was trying to kill, but after spending some time with Erwin, she understood, he was a good man and she’s proud of her Big Bro for finding someone so good for him.

But the one person who she had yet to meet was Mikasa Ackerman, she was quiet and a bit strange, but just as strong as Levi was, and you don’t find someone like that every day. At first, Isabel thought they hated each other, but after he lost Erwin and Hanji, he started talking to her more, which was nice, turns out they had quite a bit in common.

Isabel was happy for him, he found a family after he lost his mother, he found another after he lost her and Farlan, even after he lost Erwin and Hanji, he still managed to find someone he could call a friend, she was so proud of him.

**Author's Note:**

> okie- so i hope yall enjoyed it, i love writing for attack on titan, but i never know if im writing the character any good, so yeah. also Hanji in this story, in case you couldnt tell, uses they/them, so yee yee.  
> (pronouns- they/he/xe/moon)


End file.
